Women officers can now avail permanent commission in ten branches of the Indian Army. The Ministry of Defence announced this decision on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement issued on Tuesday said that it has taken necessary steps to ensure that women, who were earlier inducted for short service commission (SSC), will now be granted permanent commission in the armed forces.

The women officers who are inducted in branches such as signals, engineers, army aviation, army air defence, electronics and mechanical engineers, army service corps, army ordnance corps and intelligence will be granted permanent commission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier announced in his Independence Day speech that women officers in the army will be granted permanent commission.

The Ministry of Defence said that short service commission women officers will be given an option for permanent commission before completion of four years of Commissioned Service, and they would be able to exercise the option for grant of permanent commission and their choice of specialisation, reported News18.

Adding to the education and law and naval constructor branch/cadre, women officers of short service commission are made eligible for permanent commission in the naval armament branch, keeping them at par with their male counterparts.

Earlier, the Government had approved of the commission for women officers in the Indian Air Force. It consisted of all the branches including fighter pilots. “In the Indian Navy, all non-sea going branches/cadre/specialisation have been opened for induction of women officers through short service commission,” the Ministry of Defence said.

The Indian Navy has also introduced fresh implementations that open opportunities for the women officers. It is building three ships where women officers will be trained and after which they will be deployed at sea.